Fire now 3-0 in spring after 3-0 win

It’s crunch time this week for several players hoping to land spots on the 2014 Fire roster.

Back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday will give head coach Frank Yallop an idea of his eventual roster and where to make planned cuts later this week.

“It’s a chance for guys on the bubble to show what they’re worth, to show their abilities,” Yalllop said during a Tuesday morning conference call. “They’ll at least get 45 minutes. We see a lot in training, but when it comes down to the crunch it’s what you do in a match.”

The Fire moved to 3-0 on the spring with a 3-0 victory over Orlando City SC on Tuesday at IMG Academy. Rookie forward Harry Shipp scored his second goal of the spring in the 14th minute while guest player Daniel Jackson added another in the 30th minute.

Midfielder Freddie Braun closed the scoring in the 78th minute while the Fire defense scored its third straight shutout.

They will wrap up a Florida training phase with a 9 a.m. Wednesday match against D.C. United.

“I’m going to make some cuts after these next two games to get the roster down to size,” Yallop said.

Yallop said he liked production from young players who stepped in for the second half of last Saturday’s 2-0 victory over D.C. United. Shipp had a goal while defender/midfielder Grant Ward added the second tally

“If you look at those four players, nothing dropped off when they come onto the field,” he said. “I thought they moved the ball really well no matter who we were playing. We looked bright, we looked sharp, like we wanted to do really well. Those four guys —the oldest one is 21 — I’m very happy with them.”

He singled out Ward, an 19-year-old invitee from Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League.

“Grant is one of the players I saw during my travels in Europe and he stood out in the games that I watched,” Yallop said. “I liked his demeanor, he just turned 19 … but he works hard and has a dynamic side to him.”

A loan arrangement with Tottenham is a possibility, but it’s still to early to make a commitment, Yallop said.

The Fire return to Chicago late Wednesday and will be off until departing for Tucson on Saturday for the final round of spring training. They’ll open the 2014 Major League Soccer season on March 9 at Chivas USA.